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Shelter on Montmartre
With a wide open sky, unpaved road, and fence covered in sunflowers, this scene might seem to depict the countryside. In fact, it was painted in the hilltop neighborhood of Montmartre on the northern edge of Paris. Still partly rural in the late-nineteenth century, Montmartre was nevertheless rapidly becoming a hub for progressive painters. The Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh settled there in February 1886, studying with an established history painter but learning far more from the work of the Impressionists, who presented their eighth and final group exhibition that spring. Brief, flickering brushstrokes quickly replaced the broad handling of Van Gogh’s earlier work, as he adopted a palette of sunny blues and yellows, the result of painting outdoors. Though life in the French capital ultimately proved too overwhelming for this sensitive artist, prompting a retreat to the South in 1888, his stay in Paris played a key role in his development, catalyzing a new exploration of color and light.
- Artist
- Vincent van Gogh
- Title
- Shelter on Montmartre
- Date
- 1887
- Object Type
- Painting
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- Framed: 21 5/8 x 18 5/8 x 3 in. (54.9 x 47.3 x 7.6 cm) 14 x 10 3/4 in. (35.6 x 27.3 cm)
- Credit Line
- Bequest of Frederick J. Hellman
- Accession Number
- 1965.28
